A "second launch" won't do anything for the longevity of this game. The fundamental design and gameplay will be the same, it'll likely take most people a week or two to gain the new levels, another three to four weeks to complete the new flashpoint and operations to boredom and then you are back to where the game is now. Little to do at max level which has caused people to become bored and cancel. How long did the surge last when 30 free days were given? I'd say a week or two tops, this surge might last an extra couple weeks. Ultimately the game is still way to linear and similar to other offerings to be exciting long-term.

I realize that a missed deadline will spark some hate, but that could be dealt with by discussing the actual issues for delays in detail. People would be more patient if they understood the process and the amount of work being put in. With no discussion on what is required or being done, people tend to assume the worst. In this age of communication and information, we get very little from TOR.

Is it just me or did every other game highlighted by EA give dates to their games or content updates other than TOR. The last message from the SWTOR presentation was... Soon. Would be nice to have some timelines communicated so we can see the game has a direction and when that content could come to life.

Funny how people are afraid of ninja's when the game is setup so you can need on every piece of gear and claim it is for a companion...

I can't see how this is going to help crafters in any way. Now you can add an augment slot to random dungeon gear and make it as good as crit craft gear. This allows for more flexability for players, but once again crafting professions become useless. It would be great to see the thought process and future plans they have for the crafting professions. To date it seems poorly thought out and executed.

I like your ideas, they all would allow the game to be more of a sandbox rather than a linear guided tour. Unfortunately, we have never received communication that they are planning to open the game up in any way. Until that happens, I think you'll be wanting more out of the game like so many others.

People bought this game and sub'd because they liked the idea of a Star Wars mmo. Unfortunately it hasn't lived up to the expectations that most people have of MMO's for 2011, let alone 2007. The result, mass exodus which can be seen on a majority of the servers. Defend Bioware all you want and whistle at those leaving the game, but without an influx of players the game you love will, dwindle to nothing. The argument of being patient is a poor one, would I go buy a car that doesn't have any modern technology and say it's ok because it's a new company, give them time? No, they can clearly see what the competition is doing and should be matching and surpassing what is on curently on the market if they want any hope of being profitable. Bioware hasn't delivered a game that meets current expectations when the bar for the marketplace has clearly been set. It's unfortunate, I assume everyone who bought the game wanted a good experience, not to be told here is a teaser, come back in a year and we might have the basic features you expect in a mmo.

Lol, awesome.

This game is way to linear to succeed, works for a single player game which you finish once or twice and then toss, but not for a MMO.

Exactly, would have made your choices in the game matter, all light/dark does is let you use certain gear and help you build companion affection. Waste of time/resources.

Bioware failed when the used the wow model of separate factions which have their own cities, quest hubs etc. Light/Dark should have determined your affiliation with the imperials or republic. Would have cost them way less to develop and would allow for more interaction and thus greater community. It would then be easier to institute many different faction battles or other "war" events.

To recover materials at least. That is all.

Great post, unfortunately, based on what we've seen so far from bioware with this game I highly doubt that they can/will create a wide open sandbox style space experience that is actually enjoyable. Although, they copied wow to make swtor, perhaps one or two of the devs played JTL and can replicate the great expereince that was.

It's not about who can afford a keyboard, it's the fact that most games have some sort of macro function and this game doesn't. I personally use a gaming mouse and have 12 hotkeys macro'd to a few buttons. However, in-game macro's create a level playing field, the use of peripherals creates advantages for some people.

I don't understand the massive fear/hatred of macro's. I fully support them in a limited sense at they can signifcantly improve enjoyment of playing the game by reducing the number of hotkeys needed. Let me give two examples of macro use: 1. in SWG, I was able to run two instances of the game on the same PC which basically allowed me to have two characters going at once. Based on the abundance of macro functions available, I was able to write a macro from one of my characters where they would basically act as my combat support and mission lackey. The second character would target my vehicle, jump in, then target my target and shoot the mob, then target my vehicle and jump in /repeat. It made quests easy and allowed me to farm higher level mobs. However, I think macro's which allows this much freedom and looping in general are bad for the game even though all players would have the ability to do something similar. 2. In the game not to be mentioned, macro's allow me to put multiple commands on one hotkey, my warrior can then charge, taunt or rend with the press of one button rather than three. Not all abilities are required in every situation, but it makes playing that class easier. On another class I might tell my pet to attack and then cast a spell, having this shortcut saves me from having to mouse around and click my companion/pet to target my target. I'd much rather cut down on mouse clicks. Reducing mouse clicks my being able to link multiple commands to one keybind doesn't provide any sort of advantage other than effeciency. I fully support macro's of this kind and it shocks me that others people wouldn't support reducing the number of keybinds and mouse clicks required to play the game. When playing a healer class i'd much rather send in my tank pet first, before I cast a spell. With no macro's I have to target, click my companions small attack button, then press my hotkey for a timed spell when I could simply do those actions by the hotkey. Considering the number of times you are required to attack mobs in the game, mouse clicking is a waste of time and I would much prever having basic macro functions.